Hey There Rey
by color me free
Summary: Ben Solo, an aspiring musician from California, promises to write a song for a girl he meets at a party. Little does he know that she just happens to live on the other side of the country, or that they will spend a year trying to find each other, a year that will teach them a lot about love, loss, and everything in between. Reylo modern!AU
1. December

**11:40 AM**

"Come on, Rey, you know Jessika is getting sick of having to pick us up from parties! Someone needs to make sure we're not being complete idiots."

"Call an uber then." Rey shrugged, not looking up from her computer screen as she typed away. The photography major's roommate rolled his eyes. "Do you know how much those cost?"

She looked up at Poe. "Like a dollar per mile."

"Exactly! I'm already super in debt with student loans. I'll be broke by the end of the semester!"

"That's two weeks."

"Your point being?"

Rey rolled her eyes, tossing a pillow at him. "Maybe you shouldn't go to a party the week before exams?" She suggested. Poe sighed, plopping down on the couch. "Says you who spends all her time either in a coffee shop or in this dorm studying. I mean, if you were anyone else, I'd be thinking you've just been getting laid this entire time-"

"Poe." She shot him a death glare before turning back to her laptop and typing furiously. "The last boyfriend I had was that Hux guy last spring. And you remember how that went."

"Exactly! Which is why you should come! Get back in the game!" Poe insisted.

Rey sighed, closing her laptop. "You know I don't like parties-"

"You don't have to stay the whole time! Or you can stay outside with the other sober people." He said. Poe's cat, BB8, crawled out from behind the sofa and jumped up onto Poe's lap. Her roommate laughed and pet BB8, the cat looking pleasantly satisfied. "See Rey, Beebee would want you to go!"

She groaned, reaching over to scratch BB8's ears. "You owe me big time, Poe." She relented.

"Rey I know you're not going to regret going!" Poe said.

She rolled her eyes, opening her laptop up again. Pretty soon, Finn got home, and the three of them settled back into their ordinary routine.

 **5:00 PM**

Ben Solo tightly gripped the steering wheel, going well above the speed limit but not caring because if he didn't make it to his parents house by three, his dad would be mad. His mom would have that disappointed look in her eyes, torn between wanting him back and wanting him to stop causing so much trouble. Then he and his dad would fight, and that never went anywhere good.

So here he was, ten miles out from the Resistance University campus with a sorry excuse for takeout in the passenger seat. It was ten minutes to the airport from First Order College in LA, four hours from LA to Chicago, another two hours from Chicago to New York, and another hour from the airport to his parents' house at the RU campus.

Ben reminded himself that he only had a few months, a few months until he was done with college and could finally leave New York and everything there behind.

He pulled into the driveway right at three. He gave both of his parents a quick hug when he walked in. He dropped the takeout on the counter, went upstairs to drop his bag on his bed.

"So how are your classes going?" Leia asked at point during dinner, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air.

Ben shrugged, pushing the long cold lo main noodles around. "Good I guess."

"Have you decided which classes you'll take next semester?"

He nodded.

"Has preseason started yet? I hope you're working on your pitch." Han said.

"I quit baseball last year." He responded, not looking up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Leia and Han exchange a what-can-you-do? look. He pretended not to see it.

"Have you made any plans with your high school friends during break?"

"They're all busy." He mumbled.

"Remember that Poe Dameron kid? He's coming by later on the way to a get-together. You should go." His mom suggested. Han nodded. "I always liked that kid."

 _More than me._ Ben thought bitterly. It wasn't a secret that his relationship with his parents was tense. He bolted the day he turned eighteen with a full ride scholarship to First Order College in California, not bothering to ever look back. It took a lot of convincing for him to just come back for New Year's Eve and day. Han had always hoped that Ben would follow in his footsteps and become a pilot, but he hated flying. He hated the way he felt connected to his old man when he was flying. So he took up guitar and music just to piss him off.

"I'll think about it," he responded, setting his fork down, wiping his mouth and standing up.

"Thanks for getting the take out, Ben." Leia said as he left the room. He mumbled a quick "sure" as he walked up to his room. He changed into a black hoodie and jeans, stuffing a pack of cigarettes into his pocket. His phone had several emails from his professors, two texts from Gwen Phasma and Armitage Hux.

 _from: phasma_  
 _i'm borrowing your laptop charger while you're gone_

 _from: hux_  
 _professor snoke expects you at preseason in january. i would go_

Ben rolled his eyes, responding to Hux.

 _to: hux_  
 _i'm not going, i quit the team last year_

 _from: hux_  
 _professor snoke expects you at preseason_

He scoffed and shoved his phone into his pocket. Ben sat there for a while, strumming on his guitar, ignoring his mother when she called that Poe was there. It wasn't for another hour until his phone started to buzz. He reached for it, not recognizing the number and letting it ring through. A few seconds later, the same number called again. Ben turned on do not disturb. When it rang through the third time, he grunted and answered.

"Hello?"

"Heyo is this Benny Solo?"

It was Poe Dameron.

"Poe Dameron?"

"Do ya mean Poe Hot DAMNeron?" He slurred loudly.

"Are you drunk?" He asked.

"Maybe just a tiny bit." A pause. "Yeppie. And my roommate's car broke down, so we both need a ride."

"Call an uber."

"You know, you're the third person who's said that to me today." Poe said. "Anyway, I'm in major debt and those things are crazy expensive. When I was at your house, your mom said to call you if I needed a ride."

Ben ran an annoyed hand through his hair. His parents wouldn't be happy if he didn't help Poe. "Fine. Text me the address."

"Oh, you're a lifesaver Benny Solo." Poe yelled. "I'll see ya there!"

Ben hung up. He reached over for his car keys, stuffing them into his pocket. He passed his parents on the way out, giving them the usual "I'll be back later." before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

 **notes:** **based on the song hey there delilah by the plain white t's**


	2. 2 - December

**10:25 PM**

Rey hated parties. She hated the loud music. She hated the drunk frat boys. She hated the smell of alcohol. She had only ever been to two parties: one in her junior year of high school and one during freshman orientation at Resistance University. She hated both.

At this point, Finn, Poe, and Rose Tico had disappeared into the crowd. She sat alone on a couch, drumming her fingers on the plastic cup of water. poe had called someone twenty minutes ago to give them a ride, but the guy still hadn't shown.

" _He's got really curly black hair and a I-Hate-Everything look. You'll know when you see him."_ Poe had told her.

" _I could just call triple A and get my car started."_ She had argued.

" _You can do it in morning."_ Poe said before running back off into the crowd.

She sighed, kept her eyes glued to the door. After a few moments, she stood up to find Poe.

 **11:00 PM**

Ben checked the address Poe had texted him and then the house number. It had to be the one. He could hear the music from the car and there were drunk college students scattered across the lawn. Ben rolled his eyes and got out of his car. He made his way up to the door, glancing at the drunk students on the lawn, shouting and making out and tossing their plastic cups on the grass.

He knocked on the door before opening and was greeted by the screams of drunk frat boys and shrieks of sorority girls as they danced to the music. Ben sighed. This was going to be interesting.

 **11:20 PM**

Rey had searched almost the entire house, no sign of Poe. She had passed Finn taking Rose back to her dorm. He had offered to give her a ride. No matter how much she wanted, Rey stayed back to wait for Poe.

" _Heyo, you've reached Poe Dameron! Leave a message and I'll get back to you later! Byeeee!"_ Poe's voicemail rang through.

"Poe, where the hell did you go?" She hissed, looking around. "Call or text me when you get this."

She walked towards the door, bumping into a tall man. "Watch where you're going." Rey mumbled and kept walking.

 **11:35 PM**

Ben's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, seeing a text from Poe.

 _From, poe dameron_

 _Sorry, i'm a little hung up with a hot guy and bottle of tequila. Can u find my friend rey? She has these weird three buns. Thnx, i'll be riggggghhhhttttt out_

"Goddammit Poe." Ben mumbled and stuffed his phone away. "Rey," he said to himself. Come to think of it, the girl who had run into him a few minutes ago had three buns. It looked like she was heading outside. Ben sighed and turned around, walking towards the door. "You owe me one, Poe."

 **11:36 PM**

Rey plopped down on a lawn chair by the bonfire. She had plugged her headphones in to drown out the sounds of party, humming along to the music. It was quiet, until-

"What the hell?" She shouted when someone tapped her shoulder, whipping her head around, and her fist unintentionally. It collided with the person's jaw.

"What the fuck-"

"Shit I'm sorry." She said, standing up and pulling her earbuds out. "What do you want."

"Are you Rey?" He asked. "I'm Ben, Poe's friend."

Rey's face paled. She punched her only ride out of here. Poe was gonna be pissed. "Actually, yeah, I am. Do you know where he is? I'm ready to get out of here."

"He texted me and said that he was, um, _occupied_." Ben said.

Rey rolled her eyes. "Of course he is." She turned and sat back down. "Do you want to sit? He'll probably be a while." She offered, gesturing to the empty lawn chair next to her.

 **11:38 PM**

Ben looked around for a moment before shrugging and sitting next to her. Neither of them said anything for a little bit, Rey watching the fire and Ben staring at the ground.

"What are you majoring in?" He finally asked her. Rey blinked.

"Photography." She said. "You?"

"Music business. I'm minoring in engineering." He responded.

"What do you play?" She asked.

"I sing, and I play a little guitar." Ben said.

"I swear his dick was like, bigger than her ass!" A drunk frat boy on the other side of the lawn shouted and his buddies hooted in laughter. Rey and Ben both glanced over in disgust.

"I hate parties." Rey grumbled. "I'm only here because Poe needed a ride."

"Same. The last party I went to was in high school." He frowned at them before turning around. "I'm just ready for college to be over."

"Are you a senior?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know what you're going to do?"

Ben shrugged. He was either going to live the rest of his life working for Snoke or depend on his guitar. "I already have a job office from the headmaster's law firm. But I don't know."

Rey nodded. "That's good."

"Yeah, I guess." He said, the shrugged.

 **11:40 PM**

Rey watched Ben carefully. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe Poe had shown her a picture with him in it before. When Poe had said that he called a friend, she expected a rowdy athlete like her roommates' friends. But he wasn't. He was quiet and she liked that.

"What are you going to do after college?" He asked.

Rey paused and took a drink. "I don't know. Probably wander around the world with my camera. I've never really left New York before." She said. "I want to see the world."

A chilly breeze blew, and Rey shivered, moving her chair closer to the fire. She heard the chair creak as Ben did the same. His brown eyes were glowing from the fire. He looked over at her, both of them freezing.

Then his phone buzzed and the moment was gone.

Ben dug his phone out and Rey cleared her throat, looking at her feet, embarrassed.

"It's Poe." He said before answering. "Where are you?"

" _Is this Ben?"_ A strange voice said on the other line. Rey watched Ben frown.

"Yes, who is this?"

" _He just started crying out of nowhere and passed out for a few seconds? I don't know what's going on. We're in the bedroom on the second floor."_

Ben shot Rey a questioning glance. She rolled her eyes. That was definitely her roommate. He hung up and had a confused and concerned look on his face.

"Don't ask." She said as she stood up. They walked back into the house, dodging drunk students on their way to the bedroom.

Sure enough, Poe had face planted on the floor without a shirt on. The boy, Oscar sat on the bed. "He just started crying and then passed out?" He said, clearly confused.

"We'll handle it, thanks." Rey grumbled and walked over to where Poe lay.

"Tell him to call me sometime!" Oscar said as he left.

"Can you grab his shirt?" She called over to Ben. He handed it to her.

"Come on, Poe, wake up." She sighed, shaking his shoulder. Poe whined.

"I was having a good time!" He complained and rolled onto his side.

"Poe, you passed out. Come on, Ben's here."

"Benny?" Poe sat up, looked over at Ben. "You look terrible." He said.

Ben rolled his eyes. "You do too. Come on, buddy." He walked over to help him stand up.

"I'm tired." Poe yawned.

"You can go to bed when we get home." Rey said. Poe was quiet. He let Ben and Rey walk him out of the house. Poe practically dove into the backseat of Ben's car.

 **11:45 PM**

Ben started his car and cranked up the heat. Rey had turned around to help Poe buckle up before sliding back into the passenger seat. "How far to your dorm?" He asked.

"It's on the other side of campus. Do you know where D'Qar Hall is?" She asked.

Ben nodded. He knew the campus like the back of his hand.

It was a quiet ride, Poe falling asleep at some point and Rey staring out the window, rock music playing softly in the background.

Ten minutes later, they reached the tall building. He unlocked the door and looked over at Rey.

"You need any help getting him in?" He asked.

She shook his head. "I think I got him. Our other roommate is home if I need any help." She opened her door and smiled at him. "Thanks Ben, it was nice meeting you."

He echoed a "you too". Rey half helped, half carried Poe up the first few steps and Ben felt an odd feeling well up. It burst and his head snapped up and he unrolled the window.

"Can I write a song for you Rey?" He called. She looked back at him, confused. He swallowed. "I write songs. Can I write one for you?"

He could barely see her smile.

"Sure! Have a good day, Ben!" Rey called back and walked into the building.

Ben slumped back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. " _Hey there, Rey."_ He hummed and smiled to himself. He smiled all the way back to his parent's house.

 **a/n: thanks for all the amazing feedback! i hope you enjoyed this!**


End file.
